Oblivious to my inner turmoil, he released me and handed my phone back. I stowed it in my back pocket, and he took my hand again, walking us down to the water.
“How does the reality match up with your expectations?” he asked after a moment.
“It’s even better.” And it was. Because not only did I finally get to experience the beach, but I got to do it with Grayson. And he was still holding my hand.
I braved one step into the water but then jumped back with a shriek. Too cold for me.
Grayson laughed at my exaggerated shiver. After he pulled me into the water a few more times, we walked along the beach, still holding hands.
A girl better not get used to this.Because it wasn’t real. Even though I didn’t think friends held hands like this. But who was I to question anything? I had no friends, no life, and no idea what I was doing.
Maybe thiswaswhat friends did these days.
Grayson slowed his steps, and our walk became more of a stroll. “So, you opened your bakery.”
“I certainly did. And I even called it Sweet Dreams.”
The name had been Grayson’s idea, and I’d loved it from the moment he first mentioned it.
“I’m so happy for you, Rayna. You did it.” He ran his thumb along my hand, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “One thing I know for sure: you can do anything you set your mind to.”
My face heated at his compliment. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’m not sure it’s deserved.”
“Oh it’s deserved. Not believing in yourself has always been your biggest hurdle.”
It was hard to be self-confident with an upbringing like mine. And when the one person who had always been in my corner died, I nearly lost my way.
“I couldn’t have gotten to where I am without you,” I rasped, forever grateful he was there for me when I needed him most.
“Not true. You would have made it. I refuse to believe anything else.”
His words wrapped me in their warmth, giving me hope that we hadn’t changed as much as I thought.
“Let’s find some seashells. You definitely need something to remember this by.”
Little did he know that this would forever be burned into my memories. No memorabilia necessary.
It was almost as perfect as our time at the inn in Aspen.
Almost.
Seven
The lights flowing past outside the car gave the town an ethereal quality, the streaks of color lighting up the night.
Grayson had been true to his word and taken me to different restaurants, beaches, and parks around LA for the past two weeks.
Every time we finished filming even a little early, I’d found myself in his car, off on another adventure. He usually told me where we were going, but tonight he was tight-lipped, grinning at the windshield as we were making our way through the city.
“Where are you taking me?” I’d asked him a few times over the last half hour, but he wouldn’t budge. “Is it much farther?”
“We’re almost there.”
I shifted in my seat. The last few weeks had felt like a dream. Not only because I was taking part in a reality TV show, but also because Grayson was back in my life.
We pulled onto a small road that ended at a closed boom gate. He leaned out of his window to talk to the attendant sitting in the booth. “Two, please.”
The gate opened, and we drove through. After a small bend in the road, I made out a big screen at the other end of the big field we’d arrived in. There were cars scattered around the area.
